


Make Me A Promise

by isnt_that_wizard



Series: We'll Always Be More Than A Band (JATP) [10]
Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Dorks in Love, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fighting, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Happy Ending, Luke Patterson Being an Asshole (Julie and The Phantoms), Luke is sad and upset and does not use his emotions wisely, M/M, Making Up, Post-Canon, Protective Alex (Julie and The Phantoms), Reggie does not like fighting, Reggie's Parents Suck, but only for a minute, pinkie promises, ruke owns part of my soul
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:34:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27155293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isnt_that_wizard/pseuds/isnt_that_wizard
Summary: Alex poofed in next to him."Hey, sorry, I think you dropped this," he said in lieu of greeting. Luke frowned at him."Dropped what?"Alex's hand moved quicker than he could see, and suddenly Luke could feel his best friend smacking him upside the head. "Your common sense, you moron!"---------Luke has a bad day, and his sour mood leads to him snapping at his boyfriend, Reggie. Julie and Alex break them apart before they can start fighting with each other, but both sides are feeling the after effects. Luke knows he screwed up, and Reggie is worried about what this might mean for their relationship. But maybe a dock on the beach and pinkie promises can save the day.
Relationships: Alex & Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms), Alex & Reggie (Julie and The Phantoms), Luke Patterson/Reggie (Julie and The Phantoms)
Series: We'll Always Be More Than A Band (JATP) [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1956307
Comments: 26
Kudos: 425





	Make Me A Promise

Alex poofed in next to him. 

"Hey, sorry, I think you dropped this," he said in lieu of greeting. Luke frowned at him. 

"Dropped what?"

Alex's hand moved quicker than he could see, and suddenly Luke could feel his best friend smacking him upside the head. "Your common sense, you moron!" 

Luke frowned and sputtered, trying to form coherent thoughts. "Alex, what- I- Bro! You hit me!"

Alex just raised an eyebrow, looking upset with him. 

"Luke, tell me. What's the one thing Reggie hates more than anything?"

At his question, Luke felt himself deflate a little. He shrunk into the couch cushions, setting his guitar off to the side. He didn't meet Alex's eyes, sliding down further in his head, tucking his chin against his chest and crossing his arms. He was pouting, he knew. Alex just stayed silent, watching him with a sharp gaze. That one they used to get from teachers when they were being reprimanded or the class was being given the "I'll wait" speech. Alex had always been good at that stare. 

"Fighting," Luke finally mumbled out in a low voice after a minute or two under Alex's piercing gaze. 

Alex gave him a tight smile at his answer. 

"And what exactly did you do?" 

Luke felt like he was five years old and his mom had caught him lying for the first time. That "I'm not upset, just disappointed" tone of voice. He knew Alex wasn't really either, and that the drummer was just looking out for both his bandmates, but he always had an uncanny ability to get answers and explanations out of them that they wouldn't normally offer up. It was like his super power. Luke was pretty sure Julie called it "being the mom friend". 

"I started a fight with him," Luke admitted, already feeling guilty over it.

Alex let out a hum. “You started a fight with him. Your best friend, your boyfriend, the person who trusts you most in the world. And you started a fight with him.”

Luke opened his mouth to do. . . something, he wasn’t sure. Defend himself maybe. But Alex made a stopping noise, holding his hand up to cut him off. 

“And before you say you had a good reason or something, we both know that’s not true. I’ve seen you and Reg fight before. All couples do it. But this wasn’t that. There was no reasoning behind it or actual disagreements. You were in a shitty mood yesterday, you were in a shitty mood earlier, and you took it out on Reggie.”

Luke knew Alex was right. 

He’d been in a sour mood since he’d gotten back to the studio yesterday. He hadn’t been interacting with the others as much, had pulled away from Reggie when his boyfriend had tried to hug him or hold his hand or have much of any interaction with him, hadn’t been smiling or joking with the others during practice, or basically anything that was his natural state of being. Luke had been short with the others, and in turn they had been short with him. Alex and Julie hadn’t done it maliciously; they were just giving Luke a wider berth and letting him deal with whatever was going on him. Reggie, though, Luke had been able to tell was getting frustrated with him. They’d been dating since three months before they’d died- which only seemed like five months ago to them- and Luke knew he hadn’t been this distant with Reggie in a long time. 

His poor mood had just built up for the rest of the day, coming to a head during band practice a few hours earlier. Luke knew he had absolutely no reason to snap at Reggie the way he had when they started practicing a new song Julie had written. He wasn’t mad at Reggie, not really, and he especially shouldn’t have snapped in a way so harsh as to insult his boyfriend’s bass playing. Luke had needed to get his mess of feelings out somehow, and apparently his brain had decided without consent from the rest of him that Reggie playing a wrong chord was the perfect outlet. Reggie, who had been frustrated and shooting looks of hurt to Luke every time he’d pulled away from him, snapped at Luke right back. 

They hadn’t gotten many sentences into their- well, Luke was loath to call it a fight because it hadn’t actually reached that level yet, but it had gotten close. Regardless, Alex and Julie had both jumped up, putting an end to it before they got any further. Alex had handled Reggie, poofing out with him. Luke had been trying his hardest for the last couple hours to ignore the thought that he might have seen tears in his boyfriend’s eyes when he and Alex had left. 

Julie had turned to him, demanding voice asking him, “What the hell was that? What is going on with you?”

Luke hadn’t answered her, just frowning in residual anger, harshly unplugging his guitar and throwing himself down to the couch. Julie had glared at him, hands on her hips. When Luke still offered no answer to her question, not looking at the lead singer, she huffed, throwing her hands up in exasperation. 

“Fine. If you’re going to be like that, then whatever. Just cool the hell off, okay?”

She turned on her heel, not sparing Luke another glance as she left the garage, shutting both doors behind her. 

Which brought Luke to now. Sitting on the couch with Alex, knowing that he’d screwed up. Admittedly, he knew he’d screwed up the minute Julie had left him to stew in the studio, but he’d been moping instead of doing anything about it. And here was his best friend, looking at him with those stupid eyes that seemed to read into his mind and soul, drilling the point home. 

“Where is he,” Luke asked meekly, sparing a glance to his friend. Alex looked at him sadly for a moment, letting out a sigh.

“Luke. . .”

“Alex, come on. Please. I’m not gonna fight with him, I promise.” His voice was pleading and sincere. He knew he’d been in the wrong, knew he’d messed up. But nothing was going to get better if he didn’t get to talk to Reggie. To apologize and explain. 

Alex looked contemplative, eyes searching across Luke’s face. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Alex gave a single nod of his head as he let out a deep breath. 

“The beach,” Alex breathed out. “Where else?”

Luke nodded, standing up and getting ready to poof himself out. Before he could, he saw Alex stand up quickly out of the corner of his eye.

“Luke, wait-”

Luke turned to him. 

“Reggie- he was really upset when I left him. Crying. He wasn’t listening to me.”

It was like a stab to Luke’s heart. He hadn’t meant to hurt Reggie. Ever. His brain just started his mouth before the rest of him could catch up, and then the damage was done. Heeding Alex’s warning, Luke poofed out of the garage, reappearing on the beach outside of what was once Reggie’s house. 

He immediately started moving down to the docks, knowing it was the only place Reggie would be. It was  _ their _ spot. The spot where Luke had shyly held his hand that first time, the spot where Reggie had laid the first, gentle kiss against Luke’s lips, they spot to which they both escaped when they needed out of their houses. It was Reggie’s favorite place in the world. Luke approached slowly, catching glimpse of his boyfriend slumped down on the only bench on the long dock out to the ocean. Being a ghost had its advantages; since they were made up of air, the boards of the dock didn’t squeak and rock under his weight like he remembered them doing. It also didn’t give Reggie the chance to poof away if he caught sight of Luke. 

“Reg?” Luke asked quietly, trying not to startle his boyfriend, who had his back turned to him from his seat on the bench. He rounded the bench, moving to a spot where he was able to see Reggie’s profile. The other ghost didn’t look at him, and Luke didn’t blame him. 

Reggie’s face looked red and puffy, and there were wet lines trailing down his cheeks. Luke himself felt like crying from the sight. He didn’t want to risk reaching out and touching Reggie, too afraid it wouldn’t be welcome. 

“If you’re gonna break up with me, can you just. . . do it somewhere else?  _ Please?  _ Not here. . . not this spot.” Reggie’s voice sounded rough and so incredibly sad. 

Luke frowned, rushing to sit next to his boyfriend, who still wasn’t looking at him. “Break up with you? I’m not- you thought I’m breaking up with you?”

Reggie jumped up from the bench, turning to look at Luke with a glare. “What the hell am I supposed to think, Luke? You’ve ignored me since yesterday, barely looked at me, and then in practice- . . . you were  _ mean,  _ Luke. You’re never mean to me.” 

Reggie’s voice had started like a burst from his lungs, laced with anger. The tone had broken, though, when he reached the word “mean”, pure sadness and hurt seeping through instead. Reggie wrapped his arms around himself, still standing to face Luke on the bench, but his eyes were turned on the wooden boards below them. 

“I know,” Luke deflated, eyes trained on Reggie in hopes his boyfriend would look up at him. “I’m so sorry, Reg. I didn’t mean what I said, and you didn’t deserve it. Any of it. And I promise, I’m not breaking up with you.”

He held his hand out in Reggie’s line of sight, hoping the other would take it. He watched Reggie stare at it for a moment before slowly reaching out, lacing their fingers together. Luke gave a gentle tug, encouraging Reggie to sit back down. The bassist complied, turning his body so the two of them were facing each other on the small bench. Luke didn’t let go of Reggie’s hand, and he could see his boyfriend staring at their joint fingers. Without thought, Luke brought their hands up to his mouth, pressing a kiss to Reggie’s knuckles. At the sound of the other’s breath hitching a little bit, Luke smiled. They’d been together- not counting 25 years in the void- for eight months now, but Reggie’s breath still hitched every time Luke kissed him. 

“Luke,” Reggie’s voice cracked as he spoke quietly. “What  _ happened?  _ Please, just tell me what’s going on with you.” 

Luke was upset with himself for still hesitating. Here was this boy- this beautiful, kind, hurting boy- who trusted and loved him, who he had hurt unintentionally, and Luke was still hesitating. He didn’t like talking about it, and he always felt kind of bad talking about it in front of Reggie and Alex, though they’d assured him they didn’t mind. 

“I went to visit my parents yesterday morning,” Luke started quietly, and Reggie’s face filled with realization and sympathetic sadness. 

“They were just. . . I mean, they weren’t even doing anything. But dad made a joke, and I- I responded before I remembered. He couldn’t hear me, but I  _ forgot,  _ Reg. That hurt a lot more than just being around them ever does. Just put me in a bad mood, I guess.”

Luke looked down into his lap. Sometimes, when he went to his parents’ house, it was easy to pretend. His mom would be in her chair knitting, his dad reading, and Luke could lounge on the couch with his notebook and a pencil. Just like the three of them used to do when he was alive. So easy to pretend that when his father had made a joke- one of those same stupid jokes he’d been making since Luke was a baby- that Luke had just responded to it. 

“Dad, are you still waiting for that joke to be funny?” he had asked, just like he did every time his father had ever made the same joke, but it hit him only moments later that he was never going to get an answer. Because even though Mitch was right there, in his ratty chair he refused to let Emily get rid of, and Luke was lounging on the couch, this wasn’t his life anymore. He didn’t  _ have _ a life. He could hang around his parents all he wanted, but he had no hope of the fantasy ever being real. 

It hit him even more than it usually did. It wasn’t the first time he’d talked to them. He would sit on the kitchen counter while they made dinner like Emily had always scolded him for and tell them all about his day. The band, Reggie, funny tales of following Julie around school to mess with her, playing with Carlos, whatever came to mind. But he’d never so easily just. . . spoken. Tried to be part of a conversation. He just missed them so fucking much. 

Luke heard Reggie sigh sadly before he scooted closer to Luke, pressing their sides together. Reggie was rubbing his thumb across Luke’s knuckles, and his free hand came up to brush Luke’s hair off his face. Reggie stopped the movement by cupping Luke’s face in his hand. 

“I’m so sorry, Luke.” 

Luke just nodded, keeping his eyes trained down. 

“Why didn’t you tell us?”

Luke huffed a little, shaking his head. “No, I don’t want to- you guys don’t need to hear about me being sad about my parents. At least I know where they are- that they’re okay. You and Alex have no idea if your parents are even still alive.” 

He felt Reggie’s lips against the side of his head. “Knowing that your parents are okay isn’t going to make you any less sad, Luke. And that’s okay. We  _ want  _ to hear about it. Alex and I don’t give a shit about our parents- you and Julie,  _ you’re  _ our family. But neither of us can be there for our family if you don’t talk to us. Or me, at least. We promised we would be there for each other no matter what, remember? If you don’t let me in. . . well, we figured out what happens there.”

Luke looked up at those last few sentences, hearing that Reggie’s saddened tone had switched from being sad  _ for  _ Luke to being sad  _ at  _ Luke. Guilt panged around in his chest like a firecracker. 

“Reg, I’m  _ so  _ sorry. I know- whatever is going on with me, it’s not an excuse to take it out on you. Ever. I shouldn’t have started a fight with you. I’m really fucking sorry for hurting you.”

Reggie smiled a little bit at the apology. “It’s okay. I know you didn’t mean it. It’s just. . . you reminded me of  _ my  _ parents, I guess.”

Luke quickly moved their arms around, pulling Reggie into a hug. Reggie responded to the embrace just as quickly, tucking himself into Luke’s chest like he always did. It hadn’t even registered in his mind that his parents might be going through Reggie’s head. Angelica and Mark Carter, who took all their bad moods and turned them onto each other. Just like Luke had done, however unintentional as it was.

“Never. We are  _ never _ going to be them,” Luke reassured into Reggie’s hair. He felt Reggie laugh a little bit against him, the bassist pulling out of the embrace just enough that they could see each other’s faces. 

“I know we aren’t,” Reggie said. “We promised. On this same spot of the dock, almost 26 years ago.”

Luke smiled, glancing out at the dock and ocean as he thought of the memory before turning back to Reggie. Luke pulled out of the rest of the embrace, standing up. He took Reggie’s hand as he did so, pulling his boyfriend up with him. 

“Time for a new promise?” Luke asked, and Reggie frowned at him in confusion. 

“From now on, I’ll tell you when I’m sad if you tell me when you are. And neither of us will start a fight when we’re in a bad mood. If we think we might, we tell each other, or we walk away to cool down for a while. Yeah?”

Reggie was smiling softly at him now, nodding his agreement. He took a step closer to Luke, holding his hand, pinkie sticking out, between them. “Promise?”

Luke wasted no time linking his pinkie with Reggie’s, just like they’d done so many times over the years they’d known each other. “Promise.” 

Using their linked pinkies, Reggie tugged Luke into him, kissing him softly. Luke smiled against his lips, returning it with his own kiss when Reggie pulled away. Fingers still hooked together, both ghosts moved to the edge of the dock, looking out at the water. Their sides were pressed together as they leaned on the railing. 

“Did Alex tell you I was here?” Reggie asked. 

Luke sighed, “Only after I begged him a little bit. He was too busy giving me that  _ look. _ ”

Reggie laughed, “The teacher look?”

Luke smiled, nodding. “Yeah, shortly followed by the same look he used when he gave me a shovel talk.”

“Alex gave you a shovel talk?”

Luke tilted his head at him. “Yeah, when we started dating. Threatened to beat me up with my own guitar if I broke your heart.”

Reggie had a small smile on his face at that, pink dusting across his ghost cheeks. Luke didn’t need to ask why Reggie was sheepish over the thought of Alex threatening Luke for him. Reggie had never been used to people being protective over him, and Luke knew it wasn’t until he met him, Alex, and Bobby that he’d ever experienced it. All three of them- and now Julie- had always been ready to do anything for Reggie or any member of the band, but Reggie still wasn’t used to it. 

“You know,” Reggie started, teasing in his tone, “Alex never gave  _ me  _ a shovel talk for  _ you.” _

Luke’s mouth dropped open in offense for a moment, but he rolled his eyes with a shake of his head. “Makes sense. He’s always liked you better than me, anyway.”

Luke achieved his goal in making his boyfriend laugh, watching happily as Reggie threw his head back a little, looking happy and free. Luke moved so he was half standing behind Reggie, wrapping his arms around Reggie’s waist and hooking his chin over his boyfriend’s shoulder. Reggie leaned back into him, resting his hands over Luke’s. 

“We should probably head back to the studio to let Alex know that he doesn’t need to hit you with a guitar.” Reggie offered quietly, though Luke could hear the reluctance in his voice. Luke shook his head as much as he could while pressed against Reggie. 

“Nah, he can wait a little longer. It’s almost sunset.” 

Even though he couldn’t see it, he felt Reggie smile, relaxing further into Luke’s arms. Luke allowed himself to breath in and revel in the feeling of Reggie in his arms, the slight breeze blowing off the water, and the warming colors lining the horizon as the sun fell lower and lower. He felt better than he had in a long time. 

**Author's Note:**

> Maybe someday I'll write something that doesn't have any angst. But today is not that day. 
> 
> For everyone who wishes there were more Luke/Reggie fics in this fandom: this is for you! I hope you enjoyed!!
> 
> Thank you all so much for all the love you've been sending my way in comments and kudos! <3<3<3


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